How to Perfect Your Website Design and Make It Memorable

When designing your website, you probably have several goals in mind. Of course, you want to attract users and get them to respond to your call to action, whatever it may be. You want it to be user-friendly, search engine optimized, and attractive. But perhaps most of all, you want it to be memorable, and a true reflection of your business and your brand. In short, you don’t want it to look the same as every other site in your industry.

While there are certain standards that you need to adhere to when you make your own website, such as making sure that the navigation menu is located where users expect to find it, there are some things that you can do to make your site unique and make it stand out. When you focus your attention on these details, you are more likely to have a memorable site that gets the results you need.

Use Color

Color is one of the most important aspects of website design. Not only does it need to reflect your brand and what your company does, but it is also vital to setting the mood of the site. Are you going for creative and high energy, or more serious and restful? Select colors that accurately reflect the mood you’re trying to achieve – but also create contrast between different elements of the site design to draw attention to the most important elements.

This doesn’t mean you need to go crazy choosing colors; a simple design with a pop of color against a neutral background with black or charcoal text can be attractive and effective while also setting the stage for your business.

To help ensure that you select the right colors, spend some time researching color theory and the associations that people make with different shades. Red generally creates urgency, for example, while blue connotes trustworthiness and purple is restful and soothing. When you are aiming for a specific mood, the colors you choose can make a significant difference.

Get Creative With Typography

Typography can grab attention, highlight important points, and make your site more attractive. One way to use typography creatively is to take cues from print media. Look to magazine spreads, posters, and books for ideas on how you can use typefaces and fonts in attractive ways. Don’t get too crazy – you don’t want to use a ton of different fonts or make the site hard to read, but getting creative with typography can make your website memorable.

Keep It Simple

Your website should be designed with a specific purpose in mind, and that ultimate goal should drive every decision you make. In other words, keep it simple.

There’s a tendency among website designers to cram every inch of space on the site with content, and to attempt to tell visitors every single possible thing they could ever want to know about the business. Don’t overfill the site so that it overwhelms visitors. Don’t be afraid of incorporating white space. Give the eye a place to rest, and provide only the information that visitors need in order to make a decision about responding to your call to action. Simple can be effective, and memorable.

Invest in Photography

One common mistake that new web designers make is relying on stock photography, or photos that are just “okay.” Why would you spend all of the time and energy designing a memorable and compelling website, only to use the same photos that everyone else is using, or photos that don’t accurately reflect your brand? Even if you can’t afford to invest in professional photography right now, put time and effort into finding stock photography that is unique and well-composed. Don’t be afraid to crop images, use black and white, or unique shapes, if they enhance the appearance of the site. Boring, overused, or obvious stock photos will send the wrong message to your visitors, so continue your branding in the photography.

Avoid the Trends

Finally, the best way to make your brand-new website memorable is to avoid following the crowd, and jumping on every trend that takes hold. Unless you truly love a trend and think that it will make a difference to your business, focus on your design on what works for your audience. Otherwise, you risk creating confusion about your brand with constant updates, and potentially alienating your audience, who may prefer a simpler, more focused design.

Of course, great content and a compelling offer can do as much to make your site memorable as anything else, but if you focus on these important design principles, your site will be appealing to your customers – and they won’t be able to help but respond.